The No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have taken advantage of a litany of Miami Hurricane errors en route to a 7-3 lead after the first quarter of Saturday night's game at Soldier Field.
Miami had a chance to take a quick lead on the first play of the game when wide receiver Phillip Dorsett broke free behind the Notre Dame secondary. However, Dorsett let the ball bounce right off his pads. Several plays later, Dorsett dropped another deep pass in the end zone, killing the Hurricanes' drive.
On the ensuing Notre Dame possession, the Fighting Irish appeared on the verge of going three-and-out before a roughing the punter penalty kept the drive alive. Reportedly suspended quarterback Everett Golson was apparently just benched, as he quickly replaced starter Tommy Rees after the penalty.
Golson, with the help of another personal foul penalty on Miami, quickly moved Notre Dame down the field. A 10-play, 88-yard touchdown drive was capped off by a one-yard rush by running back Theo Riddick.
Golson finished the first quarter 6-of-6 for 76 yards passing and also added 45 yards on the ground.